All Chapters of THE COST OF LOVING YOU : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Ava moved fast down the hallway, her heels clicking hard against the floor, each step sending a dull ache throbbing through her body. She hugged her coat tighter around herself. She needed a shower. She needed to scrub her skin raw. She needed to disappear.Her phone buzzed in her bag. She fumbled for it, hands shaking, and didn’t even need to look at the screen to know who it was. Only one person called on this line.She answered, pressing it tight to her ear, voice flat and hollow. “Hello.”“Ava.” Nico’s voice came through, low and steady. “It’s late. You said you wouldn’t be long. Where exactly are you? I’m sending the car around to pick you up now.”“No.” She replied quickly. She slowed her pace, stepping out onto the street. “No, Nico. Don’t send the car. I’m… I’m already getting a cab. I’ll be there soon. Just wait for me.”There was a pause on the line. “You’ve been gone over an hour,” he said, his tone dropping, becoming sharper. “And you sound strange. Are you still at your

The warmth of his lips was soft, gentle, a stark contrast to everything that had happened earlier. Nico kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, brushing away the salty tracks of her tears with his mouth, moving slowly down to her lips. It wasn’t demanding or rough; it was tender, filled with a sudden, overwhelming need to soothe her, to make her feel safe, to remind her that she was here, with him, and that nothing else could touch her.He lifted her easily into his arms, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist, her head resting heavy on his shoulder, still shaking with quiet sobs. He carried her down the hallway, past the guest rooms, straight into his own bedroom…the one place in the house that was entirely his, the one place he never brought anyone. He laid her down gently on the large bed, pulling back just enough to look at her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, her skin pale, but she looked at him with a raw, vulnerable trust that made his chest ache.He leaned over her,

“It’s you!” He reached out, grabbing her shoulders, holding her firmly, desperately. “Don’t you see? Don’t you realize? The way you fight… the way you protect the people you love… the way you throw yourself into danger without thinking twice… it’s exactly the same. And that scar… that exact scar… I’ve carried the memory of it on her body for every single day since I was ten years old. I would know it anywhere. I would know you anywhere.”He leaned down, his face inches from hers, breath ragged.“Ava… you are the girl. You are the one who saved me.”Ava stared at him, mouth parting, mind racing, trying to grasp the meaning, trying to remember… but the memory was buried deep, hidden behind years of trauma and hardship. But before she could speak, before she could ask how or when or are you sure, Nico’s control snapped completely.He didn’t let her question. He didn’t let her doubt. He pulled her flush against him, one hand tangling hard in her hair, the other gripping her waist, and cr

Richard didn’t even flinch at his son’s words. He just straightened his jacket, a look of pure disgust settling. “I don’t care who she is,” Richard said, his voice cold and dismissive, as if Nico hadn’t just spoken at all. “Or rather, I care exactly about what she is. A girl with no education, barely even finished high school, let alone holds a proper degree. Coming from nothing, raised in filth and poverty. You, the heir to this empire, seen publicly with her? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?”He scoffed, shaking his head in disgust.“My colleagues. My business partners. Our friends. They will mock you, Nico. They will laugh behind your back. ‘Look at Jordan’s boy, playing savior to some gutter rat.’ You will be a joke. You will drag this family name through the mud just because you have a momentary soft spot for a pretty face. It is unacceptable. She is an embarrassment, and she will be removed.”Ava stood frozen, her hands gripping the lapels of the robe tight against

Ava lay curled up on the window seat in the penthouse, phone pressed to her ear as the city lights flickered below. Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving.*Ava:* Tessy… I don’t even know where to start. It’s been weeks now and everything feels so different. I think I’m losing my mind a little.*Tessy:* Different how? Talk to me. You’ve been quiet lately.*Ava:* We don’t talk about the contract anymore. At all. No more counting days, no more “you owe me this many nights.” It’s like we both silently agreed to pretend it doesn’t exist. And what’s replacing it… God, it’s so much more complicated.*Tessy:* Complicated in a good way or a scary way?*Ava:* Both. We’ve become… friends, Tessy. Real friends. The kind who actually talk. And yeah, we’re still sleeping together, but it doesn’t feel like payment anymore. It feels warm. Messy. Real. We lie in his bed for hours… tangled up, no rush to move, just talking about everything and nothing. Stupid stuff, deep stuff… everything.*Tessy:* Wa